Here's a quick update on what I've been working on this past week.

Apex

• Windows 10 Aniv Edition support added. The new update changes a number of core system DLLs that we use in our client protection so we had to make changes to accommodate that.
• HWID banning to deal with those who use proxies/VPNs to access the game. This allows for proper permanent ban of abusive members.
• New premium weapon skin added.
• Monthly ranked duel leaderboardadded with rewards for top 10 ranks.
• Added spring cleaning function for guild leaders. This allows to remove all members who have not been active for 6 months. Sorting through 150+ members manually was a hassle so we wanted a quick tool for them.

Heroes

• Wrote a new autopatch server to handle distributing updates for multiple games off of the same host.
• Started populating a Conquer Heroes wiki to document server systems.
• Added a in-game patchnotes system to inform players of major changes (more info later in post)
• Added referral system so players can invite their friends (more info later in post)
• Re-built the client installer to include a large number of tweaks and assets for future content (avoids distributing large client patches later on)
• Added ~50 new weapon accessories
• Cleaned up tournament logic, added a number of new tournaments and wars (more info later in post)
• Cleaned up quest logic and guides to avoid player confusion (more info later in post)

Some of this has been mentioned previously in the thread but we've added a series of different PK tournaments that run either weekly or monthly to add variety and a unique activity for players to look forward to on nearly every day of the week. Unlike Wars which are skill based (gear and level does not matter), tournaments rely heavily on your characters equipment. These tournaments primarily are for bragging rights although they also provide some significant rewards for winning.

Class PK Tournament

Players are broken into level groups and fight only members of their own profession. Winners get titles, halos, experience and some other rewards

Weekly and Monthly PK Tournament

Players are broken into level groups and fight until only one player remains. Winner gets titles, halos, experience, VIP time and some other rewards.

Clan War

Runs daily and allows clans to fight for control of each major city (except for the starting city). By holding the city's pole at the end of the event, you claim ownership until the next war. During that time your clan (up to 12 members) will gain bonus droprates on that map when hunting monsters. You will also receive some small rewards for the victory itself but if you manage to hold the same city for 7 days in a row you will receive a much larger prize.

In-Game Patchnotes

So we all know that not everyone will read patchnotes but we want to make sure players have every opportunity to know about changes to the game without bombarding them with system messages or alerts. By taking advantage of our HWID system (each physical device has its own key generated) we check on player login to check if their computer has been informed about the latest website article. If not then it displays it using an in-game browser and then will not show that same note to any accounts logged in from that same computer.

This is nothing that complicated but it will definitely help players become more familiar with the game's updates without forcing them to sit through pop-up after pop-up every time they want to log into the game, even if they are using a different character.

Referral System

We're starting pretty basic with the referral system although we have a number of planned improvements for it. Right now we're focusing on making sure the base system functions as it should and that the rewards are distributed in a fair manner.

Users will be able to distribute referral links to the game referencing their character name.

EG: ConquerHeroes.com/register?r=pro4never

When a user registers using one of these links and creates a character, the server will check if their HWID has been used for a referral in the past and if all validity checks pass then the two accounts are 'linked'. For now this means that when the referred player reaches level 100, both them and the player that referred them will receive a random, non-tradable 7 day garment. This is so that even if someone does bypass the HWID system to generate fake computer IDs, the rewards cannot be traded/sold to others and are purely cosmetic in nature.

We will also be adding an account control panel option for players to customize their referral link. These options will make it so that when someone makes a character using your referral link, they will immediately become in-game friends with you! This is of course optional and turned off by default to avoid abuse but is a great way for groups of friends to connect and play the game together.

To clarify: The referral options would be validated server side. We're well aware that there's plenty of trolls out there that would try to abuse a system like that to spam you with friend requests. Referral links including auto-friend or auto-guild invites will be single use and must be ge